coin collecting | Pocket Change Riches

If you find, inherit, or are given some old coins, especially if there are a lot of them, you will want to find out their value, as metal and collectible or sentimental value.

Bringing the coins to the local coin shop, actually more than one, would be a good idea to get the price they would pay for any of the coins that might be valuable or desirable. Do not clean the coins, as this may change their value significantly.

I would go one more step, if you have the time and desire; Get a magnifying glass and examine the coins; look some up on-line, or buy a coin book to see what you have. The coins are most likely circulated and not in pristine condition (like proof coins) but they still may have value to collectors, if you are looking to sell them.

600-Pocket Coin Collection Holder Book Album for Collectors Coin Collection Organizer Storage Box Case Supplies

Resist the temptation to sell to the first person you show them to. Do not sell them by weight. Consider getting flips and an album to preserve and present the seemingly most valuable ones.

And lastly, consider keeping some as a memento or giving a few away as gifts. There are Jewelry holders for coins, as well as displays and gift boxes. Coins are an enduring piece of history that you can hold in your hand. If you keep them, consider getting a basic coin collecting kit to store the coins safely.

Here are some articles that may give you some additional insight:

Appraising Coin Collections, Consumer Reports

Evaluating old coins, Pratt Library.org

Found a Hoard of old Coins? Here’s how to proceed. Dr. Sol Taylor

Coin Collecting for Beginners 2023: The New Updated Guide to Easily Start Your Coin Collection and Learn How to Identify, Value, Preserve and Profit From Your Hobby

I hope this will help guide you in evaluating your coins and what to do with them! Underlined links are to Amazon, and help support my coin collecting habit! Thanks for reading my Blog!

By Alan Chenkin, Novice coin collector (numismatist) and hobbyist

The bane of any coin collector is the smell that can haunt some of your coins. No one wants smelly coins, but there must be a way to manage it. Not wanting to suggest you Fabreeze your coins (Don’t do it), I did some digging on the web:

Coins Don’t Smell, You Do – Live Science

TIL that the metallic “coin smell” is not from the coins themselves, but that it is actually a body odor produced when you touch the coins • r/todayilearned – Reddit

Why do coins so easily leaves you it’s smell in your hands? • r/askscience – Reddit

silly question, how do you keep coin smell out of your hands? – TreasureNet

There also may be a reaction between the coins and your hands that creates an odor, related to the conductivity of the coins and their PH^[1] .

Best suggestions here are to wear gloves, keep the room well ventilated, and wash your hands before and after. In the “Old days” of coin operated slot machines, your hands would be black from the dirt on the coins, and every casino would have a cup of moist hand towelettes for cleaning it off your hands.

Don’t use this with rare of collectible coins! – EZEST Coin Cleaner – Although it is ok to clean dirty pocket change or novelty (not highly collectible) coins. Cleaning collectible or rare coins will actually diminish their value. If you want to clean coins without harsh chemicals, consider an ultrasonic coin cleaning kit, under $75 at Amazon, Or from eBay.

These are coin and jewelry wiping cloths: Best Polishing Cloth Solution for Silver Gold & Platinum – from Amazon.

You can use a coating for your hands, like Pro-Tek Invisible Glove Lotion.

I use these when handling coins in my collection: